Parkland High Wins Region 7 Prize At State Envirothon

June 28, 1992|The Morning Call

Parkland High School won the Region 7 prize at the Pennsylvania State Envirothon held Friday and yesterday at the Montour Preserve of Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. It earned 391 out of a possible 500 points.

The members of the winning Parkland High School team were Raymond Jackovitz, Martin Heintzelman, Greg Peter, Alison Keehn and Jon Nemeth. They were advised by Cary Boyer.

Forty-five teams of 250 young competitors from 53 counties took part. Thirty-three teams scored 300 points or higher. A team from Mexico also participated but did not play for points in the competition.

The participants, high school students in grades 9 through 12, went through outdoor "testing stations," where they had to answer questions or problems related to aquatics, wildlife, soils, forestry and a current environmental issue. This year's issue was groundwater.

The students also heard speeches from Caren Glotfelt, deputy secretary of water management for the state Department of Environmental Resources, and Dr. Paul Hess of the Hershey Foods Corp.

Hess told the participants they were all winners because of their interest in the environment. He said with that interest and developing technology, there was a real possibility that they could begin to solve problems, such as global warming.

In addition to a $25,000 grant from Hershey Foods, the Envirothon program received support from the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts and the State Conservation Commission.

The state's winning team, Franklin Regional High School of Westmoreland County, will compete from Aug. 4 to 9 against 15 state teams at a national competition in St. Mary's College, St. Mary's City, Md. The second-place winner was Blue Mountain High School of Schuylkill County.

The event was held at the 966-acre preserve created around Lake Chillisquaque, which serves as an emergency cooling-water supply for PP&L's Montour Steam Electric Station near Washingtonville, Montour County.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources' Bureau of Forestry are joined each year by a "rotating" agency chosen because of its involvement in a conservation issue.

The cooperating agencies provide materials and tests for each station and technical support during the competition. This year's current-issue station on groundwater was put together by the Department of Environmental Resources' Bureau of Water Quality Management.